Peacemaker

her name. She had only been in Dawson forthree months, and, with its thousands of people- maybetens of thousands bynow-most folks were strangers. “You knew her?”

“Er, yes.” The Mountiecleared his throat and studied the ground. “Elizabeth Hardee overat Hardee’s Girls wouldn’t let no colored ladies work in herestablishment, so Vixen-I don’t know her rightful name-put herselfup out here and made do with clients who like Injuns or don’t wantto put up with high prices.”

“I’ll have a look at thetracks,” Cedar said. “Will there be a reward for the murderer’shead?”

“For…a bear?” the Mountieasked.

“It’s not a bear,” Cedar said.

“No human didthat.”

“You see any bear tracks?Any non-human tracks?”

“No, but-”

“I’ll have a look around,”Cedar said again.

“Suityourself.”

“And so willKali.”

“I will?” Kaliasked.

Cedar patted her on the back and guided hertoward the edge of the clearing. “You’ve got an observant eye, whenit’s not engrossed in ‘stuff’.”

“Well, I’d just as soonget back to my stuff while you tramp around in the woods.” Kaliwasn’t sure why she said that. If she could help the girl’s spiritfind a peaceful journey to the afterworld, she should, but she hada notion that she shouldn’t jump to please Cedar when he hadn’texplained his scarceness. Then she rolled her eyes at herself. Quitacting like a dumb girl, she thought. If you want to know why hehasn’t been around, ask. “But I’ll help if you take me out forsupper tonight.” Then she could talk to him without Mountiesaround.

Cedar looked away. Kaliswallowed. Maybe she was right. Maybe he had changed his mind abouther.

“Very well,” he finallysaid, but he didn’t sound happy about it. She thought aboutrevoking the offer. If he didn’t want to spend time with her, shewouldn’t make him. But he spoke again, adding, “I reckon I shouldkeep an eye on you anyway with all this about.” He waved a handtoward the body.

Kali scowled. She wanted a beau, not ananny. “I can take care of myself.”

“I think your people arebeing targeted, and I don’t want you being next.”

“They’re not my people,”Kali said. “I’ve nothing in common with any of them. That’s why Ileft.” That and because they’d all thought her odd for liking totinker and doubly odd for being the daughter of the crazy witch whotook her own life.

“On the outside, you do,and killers aren’t particular about the inner lives ofvictims.”

“I’m just a scruffyhalf-breed,” Kali said, “not some voluptuousprostitute.”

Cedar gazed down at her. “Are you arguingbecause you refuse to believe that you might be in danger, or justto be stubborn and ornery?”

“Uhm, the last thing.”Also, Kali wouldn’t mind hearing him say she wasn’t scruffy. Sheplucked a tuft of moss out of the fastener for her overalls. Thoughthat might be asking a lot of a man.

“I thought so.” Cedarspotted something on the edge of the clearing and walked over toexamine the ground.

“Should we arrange for aburial?” one Mountie asked the other.

“We ought to find some ofher people and let them handle it,” his comrade said. “They gotpeculiar notions about sending off the dead.”

Kali stuffed her hands in her pockets andwas about to point out that white folks had peculiar notions, too,but her knuckles bumped against something hard. She didn’t remembersticking anything in there. Puzzled, she withdrew the object. Itwas a jewelry box with a worn black velvet cover. Her heart spedup. Had Cedar slipped it into her pocket? Surely he would knowshe’d rather have useful gifts than jewelry, but a nervous flutterteased her belly nonetheless.

Kali unclasped the lid. A thick silver ringwas mounted inside along with five miniature bullets, each with aslot in the black velvet case. The gambler’s pistol ring.

The nervous anticipation in her belly turnedto unease. When had that man been close enough to slip somethinginto her pocket?

“What’s that?” Cedar askedfrom behind her shoulder.

Kali jumped, almost dropping the case. Maybethe day’s events had her the tiniest bit on edge. “A job, I think.We hadn’t discussed payment though.” Kali noticed Cedar was holdingsomething as well, a hide patch with beadwork and a polished blackstone in the center. “What’s that?”

“I thought you might tellme.”

Kali traded him the pistol ring for it. “Idon’t know. I never paid much attention to talismans and charms. Mymother always said people who used these things did so for show andthat true power came from within. That didn’t make the tribe’smedicine man real happy with her.”

“Power to do what?” Cedarglanced at the body. The Mounties had found a blanket and werewrapping it up.

Kali shrugged. “It depends on the purposethe maker had in mind. A medicine man might be able to tell you ifit’s real and what it’s supposed to do.” She did not feel a tingleof power from the beadwork patch, not the way she sometimes hadwhen handling her mother’s accoutrements. “Have you ever heard of agambler named Preston Somerset?”

“It sounds familiar.Someone from California?”

“San Francisco, hesaid.”

“Lots of gold dust up hereto be won,” Cedar said. “Doing it at cards is easier for some thanmining for it.”

“True.” Maybe the gamblerwas what he said he was, and he’d simply asked around to find Kali.It might be she hadn’t been as clever as she thought about hidingher cave’s location.

“Why do you ask?” Cedarreturned the ring to her. “Something to do with that?”

“I’d like to get back tomy work. Why don’t we talk about it over supper?”

“You shouldn’t go back tothat cave all alone.”

Kali had been planning to go to her workshopin town-that’s where she had tools for working on something likethe pistol ring-but she crossed her arms. “We talked on thisalready. I can take care of myself.”

“She probably thought thesame thing.” Cedar waved toward the woman’s body. “I told you threewomen have been murdered. You don’t seem to be taking the threatseriously.”

“Oh, I’m noting it, but ifI stopped work and hid every time a threat ambled by, I’d never getout from underneath my bunk.”

“This is different fromthe bounty hunters. They want you alive.” Cedar gripped her arm.“You shouldn’t go up to the cave.”

“I’m sure I’m supposed tothink it mighty fine of you to worry about me and be protective,but I’m not the sort who likes being told where to go and what todo.” Kali extricated her arm.

“I’m not telling you whatto do, just what I thinkyou should do.”

“How’s thatdifferent?”

He arched his eyebrows. “One’s lessoffensive?”

“Uh huh. I wasn’t going tothe cave anyway. I’ll be in my workshop when you’re ready forsupper. Don’t worry. If bears try to ravage me there, I’ll beprotected.”

Cedar knew she had booby traps all over theworkshop, and he let her walk away without further argument.

Part II

Kali was bent over her workbench,reassembling the pistol ring with the help of a pair ofmulti-lensed magnifying spectacles, when a draft whispered againsther neck. The door opening? She’d locked it.